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  • Build up and Built up

    Build up and Built up
    2026/09/20
    On the Sunday we welcomed our new senior pastor, Steve Kempton and his family, the message for the day is brought by Pastor Andy Lenton. Sharing from the book of Nehemiah chapter 3:1-14, Pastor Andy takes us through the names of the various people who took responsibility for rebuilding sections of the walls of Jerusalem in the middle of the fifth century BC. Pastor Andy uses the passage to speak to us about our relationship to a new senior leader. Whilst we will ask legitimate questions about what changes the leader will make and what he will bring, a more pertinent question is what we, as members of BCC will do. Like Nehemiah, leaders gather people around a vision. Whilst God may give a vision to a leader, the responsibility for building is given by God to the people.Pastor Andy shows us that many of the people mentioned in Nehemiah took responsibility for what was in front of them. We may be attracted to the idea of a spectacular or prominent ministry. But God values all service. Pastor Andy gives a variety of examples of the kinds of service that are crucial to the life of a growing and missional church, service that may not be generally prominent but which is nonetheless noticed and valued by God Himself.Pastor Andy also reminds us that not everyone was building the same thing. There is a temptation to compare the responsibilities God has given us with those He has given to others. This can become an unhelpful distraction. The body has many different parts, as Paul reminds us in his letters. “Don’t compete” says Pastor Andy “instead complete.” The strength of the wall of Jerusalem was not just in its individual sections, but in the combined strength of those sections fit well together.Combining our strength is essential for, as Nehemiah teaches us, there are forces and enemies which seek to undermine God’s building work. We are people called to stand together and encourage each other. We all have an important part to play - as Pastor Andy reminds us: “Your brick really matters!”We welcome you to Bridge Community Church, Leeds!We invite you to join our online community!Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsFacebookJoin our Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/BCCOnlineCommunityGroupFollow us on Instagram: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsInstagramFollow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsTwitterVisit our Website: https://www.bccleeds.org/If you would like to give to further our work. You can use the link below:https://bit.ly/GivingtoBCC#EveryoneWelcome #ChurchOnline #Leeds #Burmantofts #LincolnGreen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    23 分
  • Who can't get through?

    Who can't get through?
    2026/09/13
    How can we make more space for people come and find Jesus? How do we do this in the different contexts of the life of the church and in our own personal lives? Sharing from Mark chapter 2 verses 1-12, Leigh Richmond asks us to think about those “who can’t get through” and how we respond to them in three ways: Notice the person.Make room, and Trust Jesus.It’s challenging to think that we can ourselves be close enough to hear Jesus, but still fail to notice people who can’t get through. This is what was happening in Mark 2. A paralysed man, brought by his friends to Jesus, wasn’t kept away from the Lord by opposition, but by other people who also wanted to hear Him.Leigh asks us to think about how challenging it can be for visitors who have little or no idea of what church is about. Where should they sit? How do they understand what people are talking about? What should they do during the worship? As Leigh reminds us, barriers can be created by familiarity as well as by hostility.We can create barriers for people by our busyness - either being too busy to give people time, or by not giving them our full attention when our thoughts are on the the next task we need to attend to. It’s possible to be lonely in a room full of friendly people.But it doesn’t have to be this way - mission starts when we take a minute to notice. Leigh shares research statistics that show how people in the UK are seeking information about spirituality and the opportunities this provides for the church. He goes on to share personal testimony of how an ordinary moment can become a holy moment when people trust you enough to share their challenges and to ask for prayer. Leigh uses this to give us a number of ways in which we can be more missional in a natural and straightforward way.Like the friends in Mark’s gospel, we do what we can to give people room to come to Jesus, and then trust Jesus to do what only He can. As Leigh concludes: “Do what love has put within your reach!” And trust the Lord to continue His work of bringing salvation, freedom and new direction to people today.We welcome you to Bridge Community Church, Leeds!We invite you to join our online community!Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsFacebookJoin our Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/BCCOnlineCommunityGroupFollow us on Instagram: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsInstagramFollow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsTwitterVisit our Website: https://www.bccleeds.org/If you would like to give to further our work. You can use the link below:https://bit.ly/GivingtoBCC#EveryoneWelcome #ChurchOnline #Leeds #Burmantofts #LincolnGreen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    34 分
  • Communion

    Communion
    2026/09/06

    What is communion? Why do we do it? And since we practice it on a regular basis, how do we ensure that we don’t start taking it for granted and lose focus on what it’s really all about? Pastor Jacqui Richmond gives us three reasons why we take communion.


    First, we remember Jesus and what He has done for us. There are times, especially when we are in a “heavy season” where we can lose focus on God. Communion brings us back to the core of our faith, not only what Jesus did for us but also what motivated Him to do it. That same love continues to be extended to us whatever else is happening in our personal and wider world.


    More than this, we remember that Jesus has forgiven us and brought us into a new covenant. Pastor Jacqui shares her own experience of the first time she took communion. She remembers saying to herself: “Don’t ever forget this moment.” What was your most memorable moment of taking communion? What was the Lord saying to you then? Allow Him to remind you of that as you take communion again. In the confidence of God’s forgiveness we can, as Paul instructs us, examine our hearts, repent of where we are not following Jesus, and move on cleansed and with new strength from the Holy Spirit.


    Third, we take communion because Jesus is coming again and we look forward to that moment. We look forward, as Revelation shows us, to the new order of a new heaven and new earth free from mourning, death, crying, or pain.


    As we take communion together we find ourselves united as one body under Christ. We are all invited. Take, eat drink and be thankful!


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    23 分
  • Ephesians Part 7: Into the battle

    Ephesians Part 7: Into the battle
    2026/08/30
    In the seventh and final part of our series on the book of Ephesians, Pastor Steve Reilly shares inspiring teaching on what Paul has to say about what it means to live a life worthy of our calling in the spiritual battle. Pastor Steve takes us into the mysterious dimension of God’s good creation that we usually call the “spiritual world.” He points us to passages of Scripture that explain how God made this spiritual world before the material, and the angelic beings he created to help humanity serve God better. Of these beings one, now called the devil or Satan, sought to become the object of worship and rebelled against God. Whilst the rebellion has been defeated, the battle continues. This being and his fallen angelic followers are our adversary. The Bible tells us about the strategy and tactics of this adversary, his aim of corrupting God’s good creation and of turning humanity away from its worship of God. But from before the beginning of creation, God had a plan to defeat this opposition and, through the death and resurrection of His Son, bring freedom and salvation to us.Pastor Steve goes on to share how God has provided us with armour to equip us for the fight. He explains how we stand on the foundation of truth against the adversary’s lies, how we protect our hearts living as children of light, and the present and future hope of our salvation. Pastor Steve encourages us in the knowledge that the gospel is a major assault on the power of the enemy and how through faith and the word of God we resist temptation and reject lies that seek to undermine the truth of the generous spiritual wealth that we live in, and our strength and capacity to walk worthily of God’s generous provision.Finally, Pastor Steve draws attention to our allies - how Paul encourages us to pray and himself asks for people to pray for him. More specifically, Paul calls us to pray “in the Spirit” - to be open to the Spirit bringing people and situations to mind like watchmen on the walls of a city looking out for danger. Pastor Steve reminds us that perseverance is key to successful prayer, keeping on praying even though we don’t know when the breakthrough will come. This is how we can be part of a church which can “pray for all the Lord’s people.” Drawing on an image from the Roman army, Pastor Steve asks us “Who are your locking shields with?” And of whom are you asking “Pray for me also?” Pastor Steve reminds us of the great commission. All authority in heaven and on earth is given to Jesus, and in His name we take the good news of Jesus' victory, enriched by the wealth of our salvation and empowered to live - in all the various facets of our daily experience - a life worthy of our calling.We welcome you to Bridge Community Church, Leeds!We invite you to join our online community!Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsFacebookJoin our Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/BCCOnlineCommunityGroupFollow us on Instagram: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsInstagramFollow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsTwitterVisit our Website: https://www.bccleeds.org/If you would like to give to further our work. You can use the link below:https://bit.ly/GivingtoBCC#EveryoneWelcome #ChurchOnline #Leeds #Burmantofts #LincolnGreen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    37 分
  • Ephesians Part 6: When Jesus is in the home

    Ephesians Part 6: When Jesus is in the home
    2026/08/23
    In the fifth of our series on the book of Ephesians, Pastor Steve Reilly unpacks Paul’s teaching regarding what it means to live a life worthy of our calling in the context of the home. Paul gives teaching to husbands, wives, children and slaves, using the format of the “household code” - a well-known structure in Paul’s day for discussing relationships in households where all of the above were present. Uniquely in his day, Paul brings Jesus into the home to show the difference made by His presence and Lordship. For example, various philosophers wrote “household codes,” which told a husband how to rule - only Paul talks about how a husband should love his wife. Jesus’s rulership is about self-sacrifice and service for the good of others. Pastor Steve unpacks what sacrifice and service - two dimensions of Jesus’s life example, mean in the context of marriage, asking “How submitted are we to the servant way of Jesus?”In discussing children and parents, Pastor Steve points out that the age at which children become adults varies from culture to culture. In Paul’s day, a girl could be regarded as an adult from age 12, and most would be married by age 17. Whilst children should always honour their parents, there is a time when they leave to create new households of their own, and thereby become responsible for their own decisions. Pastor Steve discusses what it means to create a nurturing home environment to bring children up in the training and instruction of the Lord.Pastor Steve discusses slavery in the ancient world and how Paul addressed the realities of Christians living in households either as slaves, or with them. In declaring that both slaves and masters have a master in heaven, to whom all will give account, Paul sows the seeds for the abolition of slavery which we are now free to oppose wherever we encounter it. Join Pastor Steve in his closing prayer for blessing on our families, our service, and our work and that in all things we reveal Jesus to the world as we live a life worthy of our calling in Jesus. We welcome you to Bridge Community Church, Leeds!We invite you to join our online community!Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsFacebookJoin our Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/BCCOnlineCommunityGroupFollow us on Instagram: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsInstagramFollow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsTwitterVisit our Website: https://www.bccleeds.org/If you would like to give to further our work. You can use the link below:https://bit.ly/GivingtoBCC#EveryoneWelcome #ChurchOnline #Leeds #Burmantofts #LincolnGreen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    32 分
  • Ephesians Part 5 : In your anger don't sin

    Ephesians Part 5 : In your anger don't sin
    2026/08/16
    In the fourth of our series on the book of Ephesians, Pastor Steve Reilly unpacks Paul’s teaching regarding what it means to live a life which reveals God to the world in which we live. Pastor Steve highlights the two foundational truths on which Paul builds - that we are to live a life of love, and to live as children of the light. This is a high calling, and only possible by living in partnership with the Holy Spirit who empowers and energises this life. Hence Paul’s exhortation to us to keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit. Pastor Steve encourages us to pray daily: “Father, fill me with your Holy Spirit today!”Paul then takes into some very challenging practical areas of Christian living. He talks about “putting off” our old way of life and “putting on” a lifestyle consistent wth our new identities as children of light. We notice how Paul takes a negative - to put off - and replaces it with the positive we are to put on. Pastor Steve reminds us that a holy life is a positive and beautiful life, whereas a sinful life is ugly. Pastor Steve picks out three specifics from our passage today.i).Put off falsehood - put on truth. Biblical truth is as true for the world as it is for the church. Relationships established on trust, founded on honesty, are strong and can stand the test of time, whereas falsehood breeds suspicion and mistrust. Pastor Steve reminds us that the longevity of our influence will be far more down to character than gifting.ii).Don’t let anger lead you into sin, but keep it under control. It’s not wrong to be angry, especially with regards to injustice. But we need to put boundaries on our anger so that it does’t leave the devil a foothold from which he can influence us towards bitterness or resentment. Unresolved anger is a route to unforgiveness - the past unhelpfully influencing our present and future. Pastor Steve explains how the journey of forgiveness is our road to freedom and recommends Dr Amy Orr Ewing’s book Forgiveness - Reclaiming Its Power in a Culture of Outrage and Fear. To be truly children of our heavenly Father, Jesus teaches us to love our enemies, prayer for our persecutors, and seek reconciliation where possible.iii).Silence unwholesome talk - invest in speech that builds up. Our speech can be fuel to the fire, or the water that cools and extinguishes it. Pastor Steve reminds us of Scriptures that speak of the power of our speech and encourages us to let our conversation lead to peace not strife, to life and not death.Finally, Pastor Steve reminds us that whatever negatives have been spoken over us in the past, these do not define us. What defines us is our identity as children of God, blessed with His lavish love.We welcome you to Bridge Community Church, Leeds!We invite you to join our online community!Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsFacebookJoin our Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/BCCOnlineCommunityGroupFollow us on Instagram: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsInstagramFollow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsTwitterVisit our Website: https://www.bccleeds.org/If you would like to give to further our work. You can use the link below:https://bit.ly/GivingtoBCC#EveryoneWelcome #ChurchOnline #Leeds #Burmantofts #LincolnGreen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    28 分
  • Ephesians Part 4 : Walk Worthily

    Ephesians Part 4 : Walk Worthily
    2026/08/09
    In the fourth of our series on the book of Ephesians, Pastor Steve Reilly takes into the early verses of Ephesians chapter 4. As we have seen from the earlier talks, chapters 1-3 focus on our wealth - all that Christ has given us through His saving grace. The focus in chapters 4-6 shifts to our walk - what a mature Christian life looks like in the practical realities of the day to day. We will see what this looks like in the church, in the world, in the home, and in the battle.Today Pastor Steve looks at a life worthy of our calling as it shows up in the church. In this passage Paul re-emphasises what he has said in chapter 2 about the importance of unity. As Pastor Steve reminds us: “We will work at unity..because..we are the evidence that Jesus makes a difference.” Pastor Steve shares a number of verses about unity, and a worked example from Philippians chapter 4 as Paul exhorts two of the members of the church to “be of the same mind.” Inevitably, Christians will from time to time fall out. The challenge is to address these episodes as people of the light, and not default back to the approaches of people who walk in darkness. Pastor Steve asks us to keep three ideas in mind as we practically address Paul’s plea for unity - Christian character, the common good, and a common goal. We are far more likely to be united as we develop Christian character and invest in the virtues that Paul highlights here. “Be completely humble” Paul says. Humility never looks down or belittles another. Pastor Steve reminds us that humility attracts the favour of God. As 1 Peter 5:5 says: “Clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, because God opposes the proud, but shows favour to the humble.”Paul goes on to call us to gentleness, which is strength under control to the service of others. He calls us to “bear with” one another - to choose to overlook minor issues of little consequence in the interests of the wider goal of promoting the power of unity.None of this removes the need we sometimes have for “brave conversations” with each other or, as Paul puts it, “speaking the truth in love.” To do this we need first to examine out own hearts in prayer and, as far as we can, to desire the best for the person we are speaking to. Pastor Steve shares a personal example to illustrate the need to focus not on changing other people but, by the grace of grace, desire to see ourselves changed more into Christ’s likeness.Pastor Steve points us to the common ground we all share with all believers. In verse 4 we read of seven ways in which we are made ”one" - body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, God and Father of all. This is the theological basis of our unity, our identity in Christ, far more important than any drivers for division based on tribe or social class. Pastor Steve reminds us, pointing us back to Paul’s teaching earlier in the letter, that when we promote unity we oppose the powers that seek to spoil God’s good creation.With that unity we also enjoy diversity, including a diversity of gifts. We all have gifts given us by Christ, given for us to steward faithfully for the blessing and good of others. Our gifts contribute both to our common good, and to the common goal of building a united community in which God’s goodness flows through and to each of us. In conclusion, Pastor Steve encourages to pray for each other, to cheer each other on and encourage one another, and through our unity to display the manifold wisdom of God.We welcome you to Bridge Community Church, Leeds!We invite you to join our online community!Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsFacebookJoin our Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/BCCOnlineCommunityGroupFollow us on Instagram: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsInstagramFollow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsTwitterVisit our Website: https://www.bccleeds.org/If you would like to give to further our work. You can use the link below:https://bit.ly/GivingtoBCC#EveryoneWelcome #ChurchOnline #Leeds #Burmantofts #LincolnGreen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    30 分
  • Ephesians Part 3: All for One

    Ephesians Part 3: All for One
    2026/08/02
    Continuing our series on the book of Ephesians, Pastor Steve Reilly leads us from Chapter 2:11 to Paul’s prayer in Chapter 3:14-20.Pastor Steve expounds the passage through the heads of peace, prayer, and praise. The word “peace” appears four times in this week’s passage - focussing not on peace with God, but peace between different groups of people who, outside of Christ, disdained each other. Jews considered others - gentiles - as unclean and idolators. Paul talks about taking down a wall that divided them. He would have had in mind a literal wall, built in the temple in Jerusalem, which divided the outer court - where gentiles were permitted to come - from the inner courts from which they were forbidden. The dividing wall between the outer and inner courts bore this inscription: "No foreigner is to enter within the balustrade and the partition around the sanctuary. Whoever is caught will have himself to blame for his ensuing death.” In Christ all that this wall represents is torn down. Those who are “far away” (gentiles) and those who are “near” (Jews) are united in one. Even more than this, the curtain that sealed off the most holy place at the heart of the temple, and which separated God’s presence from all but the high priest, has also been removed. In Christ there is no barrier between anyone and the Father.We live in a world riven by division, fuelled by dark powers seeking to ruin God’s good creation. Bringing together Jews and Gentiles into a single people in Christ demonstrates God’s wisdom and lordship to these powers. The unity of the church is a witness to the world and evidence that, as NT Wright puts it: “Jesus is Lord, and they are not.” In working hard to promote unity in the church we proclaim God’s wisdom and Christ’s victory.Moving to prayer, Paul prays for strength in the inner being of Jesus’s followers - strength which comes through the Holy Spirit. Pastor Steve reminds us of a number of verses throughout the Bible which speak of the strength which God gives us, and what that strength enables us to accomplish. Pastor Steve encourages us to take time daily to ask the Spirit to renew us in His strength. Pastor Steve explains what Paul means when prays that “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” The word for “dwell” refers to a permanent habitation rather than a visit. Pastor Steve asks what our relationship with the Lord is like. Is he a permanent resident with access to, and Lordship over, every “room” or area of our lives, or more like a lodger with access to some areas and not others?We read Paul’s prayer that our own lives will be grasped by the incomparable and immeasurable love of God, and that will overflow with this love as we celebrate and discover our multi-faceted diversity in Jesus.Praise God for His incomparable love and grace!We welcome you to Bridge Community Church, Leeds!We invite you to join our online community!Like us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsFacebookJoin our Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/BCCOnlineCommunityGroupFollow us on Instagram: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsInstagramFollow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/BCCLeedsTwitterVisit our Website: https://www.bccleeds.org/If you would like to give to further our work. You can use the link below:https://bit.ly/GivingtoBCC#EveryoneWelcome #ChurchOnline #Leeds #Burmantofts #LincolnGreen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    29 分